The Deerhound, a picturesque and decorative dog, exudes an aura of poetry and feudal romance. It fits almost every situation and surrounding, be it the atmosphere of a Baron's mansion or the warmth of a fire before which it stretches in the light of the wood fire that reflects on polished armors and furnishings or the early morning in the midst of dew drops as it strains at its leash or the purple mountains in its native country over which it races gleefully. Each and every attitude and movement of the Deerhound are graceful and majestic. Even prosaic minds would agree that there is something poetic about the dog.

Short History

The Scottish nobles of the ancient days were proud of their Deerhounds, which accompanied them as they went to hunt deer in the highlands. The King of England owned the red deer the country, and large herds of these deer were made available in the woods of the neighborhood so that the king's courtiers could enjoy hunting them. During the Stuart uprising, however, the habit of driving herds of deer had to stop. The deer then fell under the mercy of the retainers.

Here is what an ideal Deerhound should look like.

Head

The head of the Deerhound should be broadest at its ears and should slightly taper to its eyes while its muzzle should taper to its nose. While the dog should have a pointed muzzle, its teeth and lips should be on the level. Its head should be elongated while it should have a flat skull that rises slightly over the eyes.

The hair covering its head should be of moderate length and relatively softer than the hair on the rest of its body. Preferably, the dog should have a black nose although certain blue-fawn varieties can have blue noses. Light-colored dogs should have a black muzzle. They should have a silky moustache and a light-colored beard.

Ears

The dog's ears should be placed high. In a relaxed position, they should resemble the ears of a Greyhound and should be folded back. In an excited condition, however, the ears should be raised over the head with the fold intact. Sometimes, it should be half erect. The dog's ears should be soft and glossy.

In the Deerhound, short hair is preferred. The coat should be silky and silvery near the ear and its tip. Irrespective of the color of the Deerhound's body, the ears should be dark in color.

Shoulders and Neck

The dog should have a long neck, as long as the Greyhound's neck. Its nape should be prominent near the head. It's throat should be clear-cut and prominent. Its shoulders should be sloping with the blades thrown back, and the width between them should not be too much.

Stern

The stern should be long and tapering. It should be one or half inch above the ground and the same distance below its hocks. In a relaxed position, the stern should be curved or dropped down. When the dog is moving, the stern should be curved, but it should never be moved out of line of its back. The stern should be covered with a thick and wiry undercoat.

Eyes

The Deerhound's eyes should be dark eyed; they could be hazel or dark brown. The eyes are large with a gentle look in them. When the dog is excited however, the eyes have a far-away, keen look in them. The outlines of the dog's eyelids should be dark.

Body

Its physical structure is similar to that of a large Greyhound. Its chest should be deep, but neither narrow nor with flat sides. Its loin should arch and droop to its tail.

Feet and Legs

The Deerhound's legs should be flat and broad. A broad elbow and forearm is desirable. The fore-legs should be as straight as possible. While the feet are close and compact, the toes should have a good arch. The dog's hind quarters, while dropping, should be powerful and broad with its hips set wide apart. Its hind-legs should be bent at its stifles. The length between the hip and the hock should be quite good, and the hock should be flat and broad.

Coat

The dog should have a wiry, rough coat on its body, neck, and back quarters. The coat should be around three to four inches long. On its head, belly, and breast, however, the coat should be much softer. The Deerhound should have a fringe of hair on the inner parts of its hind-legs and fore-legs, but it should not look like a Collie. In short, it should bear a shaggy, though not overcoated, look.

Color

The ideal color of the Deerhound depends on personal tastes. But the dark, blue-grey Deehound is very popular. The dark-colored and the light grey or brindle Deerhounds are next preferred--of these, the darkest is the most loved. Also held in high esteem are the yellow and the red-fawn or sandy-red Deerhounds that have black points at the ears and muzzle.

Height

The Deehound could be between 28 and 30 inches in height. It could be taller if it can maintain the rest of the proportions. Bitches can be 26 inches and above. A bitch could be taller without being too course. Even the tallest bitch is not as tall as a dog; therefore, it can never be too big a dog to lose agility to hunt as most large dogs are.